IMPACT’S Making an IMPACT Initiative Celebrates the Second Half of 2019

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC: 29 January 2019 – In the second half of 2019, IMPACT’s employees continued their generous efforts via the Making an IMPACT (MAI) community service initiative. Together, we held several donation drives for various causes, as well as our annual Season of Giving and gingerbread house decorating contest for charity.

Backpack Buddies

In July, Lori and Ann teamed up once again to keep the 6th annual Backpack Buddies food drive alive! IMPACT employees donated various food items for children in the surrounding areas.

Backpack Buddies supplies healthy food to area children over the weekend, when school breakfast and lunch aren’t available.

From Kelly Wiley, the warehouse manager: “I wanted to write and thank you and your team for the contribution of 352 pounds of goods for our Backpack Buddies program. This donation will go a long way with feeding hungry kids in our communities. It is organizations like yours that help us do what we do!”

Thanks to everyone for donating to this important cause!

Step-Up Durham

On July 12, 2019, IMPACT employees teamed up with StepUp Durham to serve as mock interviewers during their monthly Job Skills Workshop. Volunteers guided workshop participants through mock interviews and provided them with feedback in preparation for their job searches.

StepUp’s vision is to be the premier resource in Durham County for people seeking to improve their lives and develop stable careers. Since the Durham office opened in 2015, 465 graduates have been placed in 394 jobs after completing StepUp’s Employment Program. This was a great opportunity for IMPACT to help people in Durham County in need of a more stable working situation prepare for seeking employment over the holidays. IMPACT employees helped a class of 4 workshop participants graduate from StepUp’s Employment Program!

Thank you to everyone who supported the admirable efforts of this organization!

Crayons2Calculators helps more than 10,000 local children in need by providing their teachers with basic school supplies and educational tools.

Thanks to everyone for helping out our local teachers!

Strike Out for Sarcoma 5K and Family Fun Walk

On September 8, MAI supported the Duke Cancer Institute’s “Strike Out for Sarcoma” annual 5K and Family Fun Walk for the 2nd year in a row! Together we collected a total of $1520 in donations and enjoyed fresh air, exercise, and inspirational stories from patients, survivors, and family members.

Strike Out for Sarcoma raises awareness and much-needed funding for sarcoma research. The event raised a grand total of $41,425 for sarcoma research!

Thank you to all of the families (and pets!) who participated in this event!

Spooky Halloween Auction for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

In October, MAI and Impact Connect supported the inaugural “Spooky Halloween Auction”, held as part of Amanda’s fundraising efforts for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s (CFF) Triangle’s Finest Campaign. IMPACT team members generously gave of their considerable talents and time and donated all auction items, which included pet portraits, custom cakes, and babysitting, among others. Competition for items was fierce, with several bidding wars occurring. Altogether, the Spooky Halloween Auction raised a total of $3248 for the CFF!

The CFF’s mission is to cure cystic fibrosis and to provide all people with the disease the opportunity to lead full, productive lives by funding research and drug development, promoting individualized treatment, and ensuring access to high-quality, specialized care.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the cure for cystic fibrosis through this fun event!

Habitat for Humanity Build

In November, MAI and IMPACT on Health teamed up to volunteer with the Durham Chapter of Habitat for Humanity. IMPACT team members cleaned, prepped, and painted both indoors and outdoors during our workday. MAI was able to make a monetary donation as well, to support both our workday and future volunteers’ efforts.

Habitat for Humanity’s mission is to provide high-quality and affordable housing for everyone. Habitat for Humanity works toward their mission by building strength, stability and self-reliance in partnership with families in need of decent and affordable housing. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage.

Thank you to those who got their hands dirty to help people secure decent affordable housing!

IMPACT employees signed and decorated holiday greeting cards for the residents of a local assisted living facility. Along with the festive cards, employees provided home baked and store-bought goodies to help brighten the holiday season for the 74 wonderful residents of Chatham Commons Assisted Living Facility in Cary. Holiday cards and treats were hand-delivered to the residents, who were appreciative of the kind sentiment and being able to choose their own delicious treats! The IMPACT crew also left a ridiculously huge Christmas balloon to keep folks smiling throughout the season.

Gingerbread House Decorating Contest

To close out the holiday season, MAI hosted a gingerbread house decorating contest. MAI rewarded the 1st and 2nd place teams by donating to their charity of choice. Together, we donated a total of $1000 to 2 different charities:

Siegel Rare Neuroimmune Association (SRNA) ($750, selected by Amanda, Amritha, Nicole, and Rebecca): SRNA is a non-profit international organization dedicated to the support of individuals with a spectrum of rare neuroimmune disorders by providing financial support for patients and their families, promoting awareness to empower patients, families, clinicians and scientists, building a collaborative and dedicated clinical care network and help advance scientific understanding and research.

Saving Grace ($250, selected by Brandi, Kelly, and Nancy): Saving Grace is a non-profit organization located in Wake Forest that is dedicated to bringing dogs from underserved communities together with families willing to help these puppies and adult dogs reach their full potential to enjoy healthy, happy lives and provide loving companionship. We are so proud to support the admirable efforts of these charities to give back to their communities!

As part of the MAI initiative, IMPACT employees come together as a team for larger community projects several times a year. Projects are chosen based on charities or efforts that have strong connections to IMPACT employees and their families. In addition, IMPACT supports and promotes their employees’ efforts to give back to their community by providing them 4 hours of paid time off per month to pursue volunteer work.

Would you like to be a part of IMPACT’s community endeavors? Let us know! We’d love to hear from you here , or via Twitter (@ImpactPharma) or on LinkedIn . You can also keep up with our Making an IMPACT events via our quarterly newsletters !